This invention relates to passive emergency locating systems and methods, and, more particularly, relates to location indicators and methods for use where avalanche danger exists.
Skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and other outdoor winter activities continue to increase in popularity. With increasing numbers of participants, however, awareness grows of dangers associated with such activities, particularly when conducted in mountainous terrain where the danger of avalanche is ever present.
Unfortunately, snow slides (i.e., avalanches) claim the lives of some winter sport enthusiasts every season. While exposure to avalanche danger is inherent in many of these activities, the toll in human lives could be reduced by proper preparedness. The most common cause of death in an avalanche is suffocation of victims beneath the snow. Therefore, if victims can be more quickly located fewer will die. Any avalanche rescue team well understands the importance of rapid location of victims.
Passive visual locating devices have been heretofore suggested and/or utilized for a variety of applications (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,555,839, 5,421,287, 5,114,369, 5,058,524, 5,000,482, 4,598,661, 3,428,019, 3,007,437, 2,971,206, 2,949,094, and 2,646,019,). In particular, passive systems for use by those exposing themselves to avalanche danger have been suggested (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,635,754 and 4,114,561, for example). Such systems typically use balloons which are carried in back packs and are automatically inflatable by a user in an emergency to mark a wearer""s location.
While such systems have the advantage of immediate position location of an avalanche victim using the system, the mechanisms required by such systems for automatic inflation make them bulky and inconvenient for users to carry. Moreover, such systems must be maintained and tested frequently, and their use severely limits the user""s ability to pack additional gear, thus encouraging a further, though unintended, lack of preparedness by the user.
Active location signaling devices, such as radio beacons and the like, have also been heretofore suggested for use by those engaging in activities which expose them to avalanche danger. While typically compact and light weight, such devices are expensive to own and maintain, and do little to aid those in the immediate vicinity of an avalanche (such as a victim""s companions) in quickly locating victims. Even when properly equipped personnel reach the avalanche site, beacon location (and thus victim location) is not as precise as is the case with passive systems, thus leading to further loss of precious minutes before locating the victim.
As may be seen from the foregoing, further improvement of devices and systems for indicating location, particularly where use is intended for those subjected to danger of avalanche, could still be utilized.
This invention provides a location indicator and method particularly well adapted for outdoor winter activities where avalanche danger may be present. The indicator is inexpensive, compact, light weight and easy to use, requiring little or no maintenance and testing from season to season. Use of the indicator in an emergency provides immediate and precise victim location, thereby reducing the time needed to affect rescue of a user of the indicator.
The location indicator includes a body mountable carriage having an engagement/detachment interface at one surface thereof. A surface of a castable member is engageable by and manually detachable from the interface of the carriage. A length of light weight material is associated at one end with the carriage and at an opposite end with the castable member, the length of material compactly stored at at least one of the carriage and the castable member while the carriage and the castable member are engaged. By detaching the castable member from the carriage and casting it away from the carriage, the length of material is readily unfurled.
The carriage preferably includes a body contoured mount and strapping for maintaining the indicator on a user""s body. The mount provides strap securements and has the engagement/detachment interface thereat, the strapping receivable at the securements.
The location indicating method of this invention, for aiding location of an avalanche victim, includes affixing one end of a length of light weight material at the body of a user exposed to potential avalanche danger and affixing the opposite end of the length of material at a castable member carried by the user. Compact storage of the length of material is maintained under normal circumstances, but the length of material may be caused to be unfurled from storage by casting the castable member away from the user""s body before an avalanche overtakes the user.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved location indicator and method.
It is another object of this invention to provide an improved passive location indicator for use by those exposed to danger of avalanche.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a location indicator that is inexpensive, compact, light weight and easy to use, requiring little or no maintenance and testing from season to season.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an emergency location indicator and method providing relatively immediate and precise victim location.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a location indicator including a body mountable carriage having an engagement/detachment interface, a castable member having a surface engageable by and manually detachable from the interface of the carriage, and a length of light weight material associated at one end with the carriage and at an opposite end with the castable member, the length of material compactly stored at at least one of the carriage and the castable member while the carriage and the castable member are engaged and readily unfurled by detaching the castable member from the carriage and casting the castable member away from the carriage.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a location indicator including a body mountable carriage with a body contoured mount and strapping for maintaining the indicator on a user""s body, the mount having strap securements and an engagement/detachment interface thereat, the strapping receivable at the securements, a castable member having a surface engageable by and manually detachable from the interface of the carriage, and a length of light weight material affixed at one end to the carriage and associated at an opposite end with the castable member, the length of material releasably containable by at least one of the carriage and the castable member.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a location indicating method aiding location of an avalanche victim that includes the steps of affixing one end of a length of light weight material at the body of a user exposed to potential avalanche danger, affixing an opposite end of the length of material at a castable member carried by the user, maintaining compact storage of the length of material under normal circumstances, and causing the length of material to be unfurled from storage by casting the castable member away from the user""s body before an avalanche overtakes the user.
With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent to one skilled in the art as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and method substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included as come within the scope of the claims.